Chapter 98: Chapter 94: The Pill is Obtained

Zhao Lin remembered his master’s instructions and hurried to the rear courtyard.

"Senior Brother Yuan, where’s Master?"

Zhao Lin looked around but didn’t see Zhu Huaishan, so he found Yuan Cheng and asked.

"Master is meeting a guest in the study."

Yuan Cheng said half-jokingly, "If you need something, you can tell me too."

"It’s nothing. I just haven’t seen Master in a few days."

Zhao Lin said casually, taking a slow breath to calm himself down.

He returned to the front courtyard to continue practicing his fist skills. However, he didn’t dare use his full strength, and his movements were very slow. Otherwise, if he accidentally reached the brink of a breakthrough, it would be difficult to stop midway.

"Senior Brother Zhao is so serious about his practice!"

"Indeed. Only with such dedication can one grasp the essence of the Fist Skill."

"Say what you will, but that attitude alone is worth learning from..."

Zhao Lin performed a set of the vigorous and fast-paced Six Harmonies Fist as if it were the slow and gentle Tai Chi Fist. Seeing this, the apprentices not only found nothing wrong with it but began to shower him with praise.

’This works too?’

Zhao Lin couldn’t help but crack a grin.

After he finished the set of Six Harmonies Fist, he heard the sound of light footsteps. Turning his head, he saw Yuan Cheng standing before him.

"Junior Brother Zhao, Master wants to see you in the study."

Yuan Cheng clapped him on the shoulder and smiled. "You and Master are really on the same wavelength!"

Zhao Lin also found it strange. ’Could Master have already sensed that I’m about to break through?’ he wondered.

Filled with puzzlement, he arrived at the study door and knocked twice.

"Come in." Zhu Huaishan’s voice came from inside.

"Yes."

Zhao Lin pushed the door open and saw that besides Zhu Huaishan, there were two strangers in the study, dressed in green shirts with fitted sleeves.

"Zhao Lin, these two are envoys from the Xingyun Sect," Zhu Huaishan said, leaning forward slightly to introduce them.

"Greetings, you two... envoys."

Zhao Lin bowed in greeting.

The two men had calm expressions and simply nodded slightly.

The older of the two envoys spoke, "By order of the sect, we are here to deliver this Moisturizing Pill to you as agreed." As he spoke, he solemnly took a wooden box from his sleeve and held it in his palm.

The Moisturizing Pill!

Zhao Lin was stunned at first, then a wave of joy washed over him.

He had been thinking about this pill constantly. He never expected it to arrive neither early nor late, but on this very day.

Seeing him in a daze, Zhu Huaishan thought he was overcome with joy and coughed to prompt him, "Aren’t you going to accept it?"

Zhao Lin quickly thanked them and took it with both hands.

The wooden box was about half the size of a palm, ordinary in appearance, and sealed around the edge with wax.

"Open it and have a look," the older envoy said.

Zhao Lin glanced at his master, and after receiving an affirmative nod, he opened the box.

Inside lay a longan-sized, emerald-green pill. Its medicinal aroma assailed his nostrils, a fresh fragrance tinged with a hint of spice.

Judging by its color alone, the pill seemed to fit its "moisturizing" name perfectly.

Just then, the younger envoy handed over a vermilion brush and a slip of paper. "The pill is intact. Please sign for it."

Zhao Lin took the paper and brush, secretly impressed.

’The Xingyun Sect sends two people to escort a single pill, uses a wax seal, requires a signed receipt, and even provides a special brush and paper. They’ve basically eliminated any possibility of it being swapped or stolen. Their methods are truly rigorous.’

"Our mission is complete. We shall take our leave."

The two envoys said in unison as they stood up.

"Please, take care."

Zhu Huaishan didn’t press them to stay. He gave Zhao Lin a look, signaling for him to wait in the study, and personally saw the two men out.

A short while later, Zhu Huaishan pushed the door open and returned to the study, a smile on his lips that smoothed out the wrinkles on his face.

"Give me the pill. You don’t have a fixed residence right now and no proper place to store things. I’ll keep it safe for you for now. You can take it after you’ve refined your tendons."

"Yes." Zhao Lin handed the wooden box to his master.

Zhu Huaishan nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly remembered something. "Right, Yuan Cheng mentioned you were looking for me earlier. What was it about?"

Only then did Zhao Lin remember his reason for coming. "I heard my tendons hum while I was practicing my fist skill just now. I feel like I’m about to break through."

"Mm, good. Keep up the hard work..."

Zhu Huaishan stroked his beard and smiled, but he stopped mid-sentence, asking in shock, "What did you say?"

Zhao Lin repeated himself. "I heard my tendons hum, so I came to ask for your guidance..."

Before he could finish, Zhu Huaishan grabbed his wrist.

Zhao Lin felt a stream of hot energy enter his body, as if an invisible hand had clapped him on the shoulder. He shuddered, and his fascia and tendons vibrated, emitting a faint humming sound.

"Hsss..."

Zhu Huaishan gritted his teeth and took a long, sharp breath. He was silent for a long moment, his expression shifting between joy and gravity.

"I had thought that even at your fastest, you wouldn’t break through until early next year. It seems I’ve still underestimated you."

Zhao Lin said calmly, "Master, what should I do?"

"Sit down first."

Zhu Huaishan’s lips moved as if he were carefully choosing his words. After a moment, he began, "Truthfully, reaching the Third Layer of the Power Realm at sixteen or seventeen is outstanding in Qinghe County, but it’s nothing special in the Xingyun Sect."

"Many disciples in the Xingyun Sect come from established martial arts families. They have a rich heritage of learning, and from the age of eight, or even earlier, they soak in medicinal baths and consume various herbs to strengthen their bones and tendons. Their foundations are firm, giving them an Innate advantage."

"So when they truly begin their martial arts training, they can build on that solid foundation for explosive growth, rushing to the Third Layer of the Power Realm, or even the Qi Realm, within a few years."

At this point, Zhu Huaishan looked at Zhao Lin. "Do you know what your problem is?"

Zhao Lin ventured, "I haven’t been training long enough?"

"Exactly!"

Zhu Huaishan clapped his hands together. "A year ago, you were just a farmer’s son with no foundation whatsoever. As of today, you’ve been training for ten months, tops."

"Breaking through to the Third Layer of the Power Realm in ten months... who would believe that if it got out?"

’But I have the Spirit Beast Scroll,’ Zhao Lin thought to himself.

’And I’ve only unlocked three slots on the Spirit Beast Scroll. There are still six empty ones!’

"So, should I still break through?" Zhao Lin asked.

"Of course you should. Delaying your martial path just to lie low would be putting the cart before the horse."

Zhu Huaishan said decisively, "Refining your tendons only produces the humming sound during the breakthrough; there are no external signs. What I’m worried about is what happens after you take the Moisturizing Pill and break through to the Qi Realm."

"I had originally planned to guide you for another two years, but now I feel I must consider the safety of your future. Next year, once you reach the Second Layer of the Qi Realm, you should go to the Xingyun Sect."

"No one there knows your background. A seventeen-year-old at the Qi Realm isn’t considered world-shakingly shocking."

’Leave next year?’

Zhao Lin had imagined training at a larger sect in the future, but he hadn’t expected it to be so soon.

’But before I go, I must eliminate the Drilling Mountain Leopard and his gang. Otherwise, I can never reunite with my family. Moreover, the fact that the bearded man killed Chief Zhou Pao and Zhu Dachun has become a thorn in my side.’

He wasn’t sure if the martial path emphasized things like one’s state of mind, but he was certain that feeling suppressed and stifled would undoubtedly affect his training.

Thinking of this, Zhao Lin asked, "Master, the sound of the tendon hum isn’t quiet, is it? Should I go outside the city to break through?"

"That won’t be necessary!"

Zhu Huaishan stomped his foot on the study floor twice. "I have a dedicated training chamber right underneath here. No matter how loud it gets, the sound won’t escape."

Then he let out a chuckle. "Today truly is a day of double happiness. Good things come in pairs."